In the first type of conventional technology, when plurality of parameters such as brightness, chroma, hue, and contrast or the like of an image are to be changed, the parameters are changed by separately entering an appropriate value for each parameter from an input device such as a keyboard, or by adjusting the parameter values using a control volume based on a GUI (Graphic User Interface) or an adjustment bar displayed on a screen with a pointing device such as a mouse. The image being displayed on the screen itself changes in response to change of the parameter values.
In the second type of conventional technology, an image obtained by editing and processing an original image is stored separately from the original image. For instance, an image is stored in a state where the original image has been rotated by a specified angle, or a portion of the original image is separated and stored.
As specific examples in which an original image is rotated by a specified angle, there is a case where, when a picture as an original image, especially a photograph showing a human face is originally inclined, the original image is rotated to correct the inclination in order to use the photo for adhering on an ID card or the like. Further, although the original image is not inclined, the image is intentionally rotated to realize a higher designing effect in order to use the original image on a leaflet or a pamphlet, and in this case the image is stored in the rotated state.
As specific examples in which a portion of an original image is separated in a specified form, there is a case where only a portion corresponding to a human face is separated to use the photograph for adhering on an ID card or the like. Further, there is a case where a section showing a human face is separated in a shape of heart mark for a decorative purpose such as publishing it on a pamphlet for a wedding party or the like, and in that case the image is stored in the separated state.
As the technology for retrieving a file of stored images, conventionally there is the technology for displaying a plurality of contracted images for retrieval obtained by contracting the original images, namely the thumb-nails are displayed on the screen and retrieving a file with the help of the contracted images as a key for retrieval.
When an edited and processed image is stored, generally the image is stored with a rectangular area including the image. During this, the blank section is previously colored with a specified color and then is stored together with the edited and processed image. To synthesize the stored images, it is required to execute the processing for marking the blank section transparent, and this clearing processing is executed by making the colored section transparent according to a color used for coloring the blank section for storing as a key.
In the first type of conventional technology described above, however, each time the parameter values are changed an image displayed on a screen changes so that comparison of the images before and after the change can not be made concurrently and a degree of change of the image can not be grasped immediately. Therefore, it is required to restore the original image before change many times for comparison. Persons experienced in this kind of job for editing and processing an image can easily carry out this work, but the work is rather disadvantageously difficult for beginners.
Further, in the first type of conventional technology as described above, when there are a plurality of parameters, the parameter values are required to be changed one by one, and when it is desired to obtain desired parameter values by finely adjusting a change rate of each of two or more discrete parameter values, it is required to check the image each time, and this work is easy for experienced persons, but is difficult for those who are not experienced.
In the second type of conventional technology described above, a contracted image for retrieval is prepared by referring to the size of the original image, so that, even in case of an edited and processed image, a contracted image is prepared with the same magnification as that for the original image. Therefore, for instance, when a rectangular image is rotated, a portion of the image goes out of the frame of the contracted image and the entire image rotated as described above can not be displayed, which makes it impossible to fully grasp the rotated state of the image.
Further, in the second conventional technology, when a portion of an original image is separated in a specified form like in a case where only a section corresponding to a face is separated from a photograph showing the whole body, the separated section is contracted with the same contraction ratio, so that the separated image is shown with a small size in the contracted image, and in some situations the contents of an original image can not fully be grasped from the contracted image.
Further, in the second type of conventional technology, a color as an object for making transparent cannot be changed, and when there is the same color as that to be made transparent in many places, not only the blank section, but also sections having the same color as that to be made transparent are disadvantegeously made transparent.